Kimiko's Bet
by Guineapigs1
Summary: After losing the part of Momiji to Kyoko, Kimiko tricks her into accepting a bet on who can get Ren to confess to them first, and if he doesn't confess to either of them, then Kimiko will never bother Kyoko ever again. It seems like a win-win situation to Kyoko, but what tricks does Kimiko have up her sleeve, and will this push Kyoko to reveal her ever-growing feelings to Ren?
1. Chapter 1

**I wanted to write a fic based on the events of recent Skip Beat! chapters, so this is the finished product! For those of you following _Love is Immortal_ , don't worry about this taking update priority since I've already written this whole fic and am uploading chapters as I finish editing them! Thank you for clicking to read this story, and I hope you enjoy! This story takes place right after Act 256 before 257 since it happens after Kyoko passes the audition for the role of Momiji before Kimiko resorts to drugging Kyoko and trying to push her off a building. **

**I don't own Skip Beat!**

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As Kyoko was asked by Producer Kuresaki to play the part of Momiji, she couldn't help but be delighted that she had passed the audition but also sad that Kanae hadn't gotten the part of Chidori as well. When exiting the studio where the auditions had been held, Kyoko saw Kimiko outside the building who had been waiting for her to come out.

"You might have gotten the part, but I still have something that you don't," Kimiko said as she showed off the ring on her pinky finger. Kyoko started to fume in rage as she remembered the conversation between Erika's servants she had overheard earlier. There was no way Ren was in love with Kimiko. He had never taken her seriously, not even when he gave her the ring two years ago. The rumors of them dating from before had been only rumors since Kimiko had only clung onto Ren and believed in fantasies like that hamster Manaka.

"I doubt that Tsuruga-san would associate with a lying actress like you who tries to get roles based on family connections," Kyoko responded cruelly, shocking Kimiko for a second before she regained her composure.

"He does love me! How would you know who he's in love with? I doubt you're close friends with him that he would confide these kinds of secrets with you," Kimiko responded, still keeping up the innocent and naive act.

"I might not be friends with him, but Tsuruga-san is my well-respected senpai and I don't see him stooping to your level," Kyoko glared at her.

"So you really think you know Ren-san that well even though you're just a kohai? You haven't even been in the entertainment industry long enough to get to know him! You can't possibly say that you know anything about him!" Kimiko shouted back, her anger finally starting to bubble out from under her fake, sweet exterior.

"As Tsuruga-san's kohai, he's confided in me things that he's never told anyone else! I know him better than someone who only thought that she was special to him when his White Day present was only a polite gesture!" Kyoko screamed back.

"From the sound of it, you're just jealous! How do you know if the white day gift he gave you wasn't a polite gesture?" Kimiko sneered. Kyoko's mood darkened for a second, remembering how Ren hadn't even given her a White Day gift.

"I didn't receive a White Day gift from him this year," Kyoko looked down dejectedly.

"Then why would you think you hold any special meaning to him?" Kimiko scoffed. Kyoko realized she was right. Ren had already given out White Day gifts to others, but she had never received one. She had thought she was special to him at least as a kohai, but was it just her imagination? Didn't they get closer during their time as the Heel siblings? Why had he never given her a White Day gift?

"If you really think you mean anything to him, then what about we make a bet? If you can get Ren-san to confess to you in a week, then I'll declare defeat and never get between you and Ren-san or you and any part you ever want again. I'll also tell the truth about what happened to Koenji Erika. But you have to have real evidence that he confessed to you that you can show to me."

"But if I get him to confess to me, then you will resign from the part of Momiji and cut off any relations with Ren-san, never speaking to him again," Kimiko said.

"What if he doesn't confess to either of us?" Kyoko wondered.

"Then I won't bother you ever again," Kimiko said, but she knew that she wouldn't let that happen. She would definitely win especially if she used her usual tricks to be victorious.

"Isn't that result a bit unfair towards you?" Kyoko asked.

"It's my terms of the bet. You can take it or don't. One more thing, if you tell him about our bet, then it's an automatic win for me and vice versa. Do you accept or not?" Kimiko asked as she held out her hand. Kyoko bit her lip nervously. Even if Ren didn't reciprocate her feelings, she would still win the bet if Kimiko couldn't get Ren to confess to her, and Kyoko knew that Ren wasn't in love with Kimiko, right? This was a way to get Kimiko off her back, and Kyoko knew she couldn't lose. Kyoko became determined to win and shook Kimiko's hand as she remembered what else Ren had told Bo. He had no intention of pursuing a relationship with that girl he was in love with, so even if there was a small chance that he loved Kimiko, he wouldn't confess.

"You're on."

...

When Kyoko got back to the Darumaya later that day, she started to pace around in her bedroom. She knew that she would be able to win if Kimiko didn't get Ren's confession, but did she want to try to get Ren's confession herself? If she could do that, then she would get justice for Erika. She had been hurt badly, and Kyoko had a chance to stand up for what was right. But how could she get Ren to confess to her if she knew he was already in love with someone else? As Kyoko paced around a bit more, she heard her phone ring. She immediately picked it up, not checking the caller. If it was Sho, she would just hang up immediately.

"Good evening, Mogami-san," Kyoko felt her heart melt at the deep voice on the other side of the call.

"Good evening, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko chirped happily.

"You sound pretty enthusiastic. I'm guessing the audition went well today?"

"Yep! The producer said he would love to have me play Momiji!" Kyoko smiled.

"That's great. I just got back to Japan and met with the president. I wish I could have seen your audition, but I felt you would get the part," Ren smiled as well as he sat on his bed. It was great to hear his love's voice and enthusiasm even if the picture he had seen earlier had made him furious. However, just hearing her made him almost forget about that horrid picture.

"Hey, Tsuruga-san? Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, Mogami-san," Ren replied, thinking she was going to ask if he had more of those meal videos ready for her to see.

"Do you know Kimiko Morizumi?"

As Ren heard her question, he tried to rack his brain for that name until he finally remembered who she was.

"I can't say I know her that well. We were costars before on _Purple Down_ , but last I heard she had left Japan and that was about two years ago," Ren replied.

"Are you sure you weren't close with her? Didn't you give her an expensive ring as a White Day present?" Kyoko blurted out before she could stop herself.

"How did you know what I got for her on White Day?"

"Eh, I just heard her say it to Yashiro at the audition," Kyoko lied.

"Well she was a little clingy back then, and she told me that she would leave me alone if I got her this expensive ring that she had been wanting for a while. She stopped pestering me for a while after that, but soon she broke her promise and kept insinuating a relationship between us. I guess she left when I stopped indulging her fantasies, though," Ren replied. Was this Kyoko's way of guilting him about not giving her a return gift yet for White Day? Ren was suddenly feeling very guilty that he hadn't given Kyoko her White Day present yet.

"Oh, I see," Kyoko responded quietly. Ren panicked. What kind of a reaction was that? Silence ensued between them for a few moments as they both thought of what to say next.

"W-was Cain alright without his little sister for so many days?" Kyoko asked to break the silence.

"He was a little more easily annoyed than usual, but filming went smoothly. I even kept up with the meal videos that you made me do," Ren responded. Kyoko couldn't help but smile.

"Mogami-san? Would you want to meet tomorrow so I can show the rest of them to you? I have time after work, so I can pick you up and we can watch them together over dinner," Ren said, hoping that she would say yes. For some reason, not seeing her for so many days gave him the urge to just spend time with her again.

"I wouldn't want to be a burden on you, making you drive all the way to the Box R studio to pick me up-"

"You are never a burden, Mogami-san. What about you make dinner so that we're even and so that you can make sure I'm eating something healthy?"

"Okay..." Kyoko replied.

"What time do you get finished?"

"Around six."

"I'm finished at 5:30, so I'll make it there right as you end work. I'll see you tomorrow, Mogami-san," Ren smiled.

"See you tomorrow, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko replied before ending the call and clutching her phone to her chest as her face heated up. Why did that man's voice have to make her react in such ways?

At least she had found out today that there was definitely no way that Kimiko would win their bet. Ren had no feelings for her.

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 **Thank you for reading the first chapter of this fic! I would love if you had the time to leave reviews/favorites/follows!**

 **As a little side note, did you guys know that as of publishing this chapter, the Skip Beat! character list on this website doesn't include Kimiko? I was going to list her as a character for this fic, but I couldn't. Although, I guess the title and description of the story imply that she's in it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Instead of misunderstandings between our favorite dense couple, I hope you enjoy the departure from the usual where the misunderstanding is actually cleared up! This fic is mainly about Kimiko's evil sabotaging, and it's not going to have the kiss photo play a main plot point for who knows how many chapters like we assume the manga will do. Here's chapter 2!**

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Kimiko grinned. She had done it. Kyoko had accepted the bet. Now all she had to do was crush her hopes and dreams of ever being together with Ren. Kimiko wouldn't let Kyoko get away with stealing the part that was supposed to be hers!

Knocking out Erika through force hadn't seemed to work since she sent another adversary to fight for her, so Kimiko wanted to break this new girl emotionally. Since she failed while trying to hurt Erika physically, she would succeed in mentally scarring Kyoko. And the easiest way to do that would be to show her that she had no chance with Ren and give her heartbreak that she wouldn't recover from.

"You want me to find out what?" Kimiko's manager asked, wondering if she had heard her charge correctly.

"Can you find out Ren-san's schedule for me again for the next week? I know you used to have a contact at LME," Kimiko asked innocently.

"I thought that you had given up on Tsuruga-san? Has something changed?" Her manager asked.

"I have a new purpose to be together with him now," Kimiko smiled wickedly.

...

After a day of filming Box R, Kyoko quickly changed into her normal clothes and went to the sidewalk to wait for Ren's car to pick her up. In only a few minutes, Ren's signature black Porsche pulled up next to her, and he rolled down the windows to greet her.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Mogami-san?" Ren smiled.

"G-good evening, T-tsuruga-san!" Kyoko stuttered as she was reduced to blabbering by his smile. So many days without him had reduced her tolerance to his smiles, especially since she found out her feelings towards him. Before she could embarrass herself any further, Kyoko got into the passenger seat. Ren took that as a cue to drive them towards his apartment. Kyoko was thankful that Ren didn't like to talk while driving since she had time to ready herself for the next time Ren would surprise her with one of those fatal smiles.

Soon, the pair arrived at Ren's apartment complex and went to the grocery store there to buy ingredients for dinner. After a fight for who would pay for the groceries and Ren ultimately winning, the pair dragged the bags of groceries to Ren's apartment where Kyoko immediately set to work preparing their meal. Ren couldn't help but gaze lovingly at her as he thought about how it would be if he came home to her like this as his wife everyday.

"Ren? Are you feeling alright?" Kyoko asked as she came over to him and raised a hand to his forehead. She didn't know why he had directed a loving smile towards her, so she assumed he must be confused or ill. Ren suddenly grabbed her hand and held it in his own for an extended period of time before responding. He had been thinking of asking her about the photo, but he chickened out before he could.

"I'm fine," Ren replied as he suddenly let go of her hand, not brave enough to ask about the photo. He already knew her answer. She had feelings for Fuwa, didn't she? He had no chance with her, and he had to remind himself of that. She blushed after he held her hand and nodded at his response before resuming her cooking.

When Kyoko had finished cooking the meal, a simple steamed fish with a clear soup and vegetables on the side, the pair sat at Ren's table to eat.

"Would you like to see the remaining meal videos while we eat, Mogami-san?" Ren asked. She nodded her head, so he went over to his television and connected his phone so that he could play the videos on it.

"It's another day without Setsu here, and I'm missing my little sister. I wish she was here to eat this beef rice bowl with me, but at least I'll get to show her this video when I see her again," Cain sighed as he started to eat his dinner. The video ended after he ate a few bites before immediately going onto the next video.

"Setsu, look. I bought myself breakfast from the coffee shop downstairs. I hope that you're doing well and aren't working yourself too hard in pursuing your goal. I know you can do it, but remember to take a breather every once in a while. I wouldn't be happy if you burn yourself out," Cain said. Kyoko couldn't help but smile at Cain's concern for her, but she had to remind herself that it was Cain's concern for Setsu, not Ren's concern for her. The videos continued as the pair ate their dinner, and soon came the last video where Ren was on screen instead of Cain.

"I'm at the airport right now, and this is my last meal here before coming back to Japan, Mogami-san. I know I'm coming back earlier than expected, and I know that you had the Momiji audition today. I probably won't be able to see you until tomorrow. I hope that when you see these videos, we're able to celebrate your new role together and that I can finally see you again. I'll be waiting, Mogami-san," Ren in a hat and sunglasses said as he finished the last video.

"You actually recorded your meals every day..." Kyoko said, amazed.

"That's what you asked me to do, right?"

"Well I didn't think that you would follow through on orders that your kohai gave to you. You probably had more important things to do than listen to my instructions. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time," Kyoko bowed her head.

"Mogami-san. I like to consider us as friends, so I recorded these videos because my friend cares about my health and wanted me to eat right. Please don't apologize," Ren said as he brushed his hand over hers.

A friend. He had called her a friend! She would have been ecstatic to be considered his friend before he left, but now she couldn't help but want to be more than that. Why did these stupid feelings have to always leave her wanting something she knew she would never have?

"Mogami-san! What's wrong?" Ren asked in concern as he saw a tear fall onto her cheek. She quickly rubbed away the tear and summoned up her acting skills to face him with a smile.

"I was just honored that you would consider me a friend. Not many people try to be friends with me," Kyoko replied. Ren frowned as he remembered Sho's betrayal as her closest friend and then remembered the picture of them kissing. Should he ask her about it now? This might be his only chance!

"Mogami-san, that was in the past when Fuwa got in the way of your life, but you're not associated with him anymore, right?" Ren asked.

"That bastard keeps trying to rile me up however he can, but you're right. He doesn't really play a big part in my life anymore. I think the last time I saw him, it was after my mother went on television, and he tried to comfort me. Except, he always just stood around while I cried as a kid, and this time he just used my discontent state to force another kiss on me! That bastard hasn't changed! He's still only using others for his own advantage! I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san, but I let him break the actor's rule of heart when I was distracted by my mother's words on television! Please forgive me!" Kyoko got out of her seat to go into a dogeza.

"Don't worry about it, Mogami-san. You had your first kiss already with your fairy prince. Even though you broke the actor's rule of heart with Fuwa, it was just like kissing a frog, right? You were only trying to turn him back into a prince, but it didn't work since he's meant to be a frog," Ren smiled as he at least felt better knowing that Kyoko didn't reciprocate the arrogant child's feelings. She smiled at him, finding the analogy to be very fitting to Sho. Once again, he had said exactly the right thing to make her feel better. Kyoko took a glance at the clock and gasped as she realized the time.

"It's getting a little late, so I think I'll be heading home now," Kyoko said as she got up to walk towards the door.

"Wait, Mogami-san! At least let me drive you home. I can't just stay here thinking of you walking around outside at night by yourself. It's dangerous at this hour," Ren said as he grabbed his car keys. Kyoko reluctantly nodded her head and they went to the parking lot together. Ren drove her back to the Darumaya, and she proceeded to exit the car before Ren grabbed her hand.

"Is there something you needed to tell me, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked as her heart started to beat faster with Ren holding her hand.

"I'm just glad to see you again, Mogami-san. I hope you have a good night," Ren smiled as he let go of her hand. She waved goodbye to him before going into the Darumaya quickly and shutting the door behind her as she tried to catch her breath. Why did his smiles have to make her heart beat like that?!

...

"Here's the schedule you wanted, Kimiko. It seems that Ren's taking part in one of your uncle's commercials," Kimiko's manager commented as Kimiko grinned wickedly and pulled out her cellphone. She dialed her uncle who answered after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Uncle! It's Kimiko!" She said sweetly.

"Ah! How did your audition for that ninja part go? I heard my brother was on the judging panel," her uncle asked.

"I didn't get the part, but no worries! I guess the role just wasn't for me. How about you? How's work been?" Kimiko asked, lying through her teeth.

"Ah, well yesterday I started a commercial shoot with Tsuruga-san and this female model, but she turned out to be bad at acting. I'm having a little bit of trouble thinking of what to do to fix this. I don't think I can find a replacement since the deadline for the commercial is approaching too quickly," Her uncle said.

"Oh! I have an idea! What about you replace her with me? We've worked together before, and I have time this week!"

"Really? That would be great! Thanks for getting me out of that problem, Kimiko! You can meet me at SKL Studios tomorrow morning at 10 A.M. to get ready for the shoot," her uncle responded.

"I'll see you there! Bye!" Kimiko said as she ended the call.

"Kimiko! You have a television appearance tomorrow at 10:30 A.M.! You just double-booked yourself!" Her manager said in horror after her conversation with her uncle.

"I know. Just cancel it. This is way more important," Kimiko shrugged as she sauntered off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all your interest in this new fic! It'll probably end up being less than 10 chapters, but here's chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it!**

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"Good news, Tsuruga-san! I fired that model yesterday that couldn't act and replaced her with an actress that can actually get the job done. Have you by any chance met my niece, Kimiko Morizumi before?" Director Morizumi asked. Ren turned to the blushing girl and smiled politely.

"I believe I worked with her a few years ago. It's nice to work with you again, Morizumi-san," Ren smiled gentlemanly. Was it a coincidence that Kyoko had just been talking about this girl last night?

"I told you before to call me Kimiko-chan!" Kimiko pouted. Ren chuckled politely. He hoped only that the filming would progress smoothly without Kimiko trying to develop a relationship between them at every possible second like the last time they had filmed _Purple Down._

"Well since you two know each other already, I hope that we can finish this commercial shoot quickly," The director smiled before he went to check on the lights and cameras. Kimiko and Ren went to their respective dressing rooms to get ready, and Ren bumped into Yashiro on his way inside.

"Hey, Ren! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Yashiro grinned.

"It's nice to see you again, Yashiro," Ren smiled back. The pair entered Ren's dressing room to talk so that Ren could spend the time getting ready as well.

"Are you not going to follow Mogami-san around today?" Ren asked.

"Actually, Kyoko-chan is at school today until I meet her again later for a show that she's shooting. I also was notified about the change in actress for your commercial and knew that I needed to come here in case she decided to try anything," Yashiro frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you know? That's the girl who went against Kyoko-chan for the role of Momiji and was involved in the accident surrounding Erika Koenji. Her uncle is the director of this commercial, so he let her take over your costar's part. I don't know what reason she has for being here, but you better be careful, Ren. That girl is much more sinister than she appears," Yashiro warned him.

"If she wants to hurt Mogami-san through me, then it's not happening. Don't worry, Yashiro-san. I'll make sure nothing happens to Mogami-san. I'll protect her," Ren said matter-of-factly.

"Always the knight in shining armor, huh, Ren"? Yashiro teased. Ren rolled his eyes at the comment, but Yashiro's lips turned up in satisfaction. Finally Ren was back, and Yashiro could have fun teasing him again.

…

"Cut! That was great, you two! Excellent chemistry! I'm looking forward to the next scene, but let's take a lunch break first," The director announced as Ren and Kimiko finished their scene.

They were in the process of filming a jewelry commercial that showcased a relationship between Ren and Kimiko over a span of 3 years with them first meeting at their office job as coworkers to their many dates and ending with Ren's proposal to her. It was a simple jewelry commercial showing how Ren's character would give her these pieces of jewelry as gifts throughout the commercial ultimately leading to a beautiful matching ring. The director had been delighted to have Ren agree to the role because what girl in Japan wouldn't want to get proposed to by Ren Tsuruga?

"Hey, Ren-san? Could I ask you for a huge favor?" Kimiko asked with mock nervousness.

"Sure, Kimiko-chan. What's the matter?" Ren smiled back politely.

"I'm a little nervous about the next scene. Is there anyway we can practice it during lunch together so that I don't embarrass myself in front of my uncle? We haven't had that many retakes, so I don't want to hurt our streak," Kimiko said.

"Sure. Where would you like to practice?" Ren asked, impressed that she had the courage to ask such a thing. He had to have a bit of respect for her wanting to make sure they had as few NGs as possible by practicing. Maybe Kyoko would be a bit mad at him for skipping lunch, but he had a valid excuse since it was for work.

"Could you meet me at my dressing room in 5 minutes? Let me just quickly tell my manager not to disturb us and then we can practice," Kimiko asked.

"I'll see you there," Ren said as he walked over to his dressing room to get into his outfit for the next scene that would be filmed after lunch. Kimiko waited until he was out of sight before bolting to her dressing room to her startled manager.

"I need you to leave this room when Ren-san comes in, but make sure the door doesn't close completely and lock you out. I want you to use your phone to film us practicing together," Kimiko explained.

"Wha-"

"I need to win against that girl who stole my role, and this is the way! Will you do it or not?" Kimiko glared. Her manager quickly nodded and a few moments later, Ren entered, oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place.

"Are you ready to practice, Kimiko-chan?" Ren asked.

"I'll just wait outside until you two are done," Her manager said hurriedly before exiting the room with her hand still on the doorknob once she got outside so the door wouldn't close completely. She hoped that her act was convincing enough.

"Which part are you nervous about?" Ren asked.

"I've never been able to handle confessions well before, so I'm afraid I'll freeze up when you propose. Can we practice that scene?" Kimiko asked. Ren nodded and got into character. When he grabbed her hands gently, she smiled back.

"We've been dating for a while, and I've realized that I won't be able to spend my life without you by my side. You've seen me at my best and worst ever since we met three years ago, and you've helped me through any troubles I've ever had. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Ren asked as he got down on one knee with a pretend box in his hand. Kimiko gasped with her hand over her mouth like she couldn't believe what was happening to her.

"Of course, I'll marry you," Kimiko smiled brilliantly as she held out the hand with the ring Ren had given her for White Day on it. Ren's eyes widened for a second in surprise at seeing the ring before slipping back into character and slipping a fake ring onto her ring finger. She embraced him lovingly before pulling back and coming out of character.

"Thank you for doing this, Ren-san. It seems that I was stressing about the scene more than I should have," Kimiko lied.

"It's no problem. I'm glad that you feel confident in performing the scene now," Ren replied, still thinking about the ring on her pinky finger. Why did she have that on still? Wasn't that the ring he had given her on White Day a few years ago?

Outside, Kimiko's manager pressed the stop recording button on her phone and quietly closed the door. With Ren's back to the door, there wasn't a way to see that the proposal involved no rings. She wasn't sure what Kimiko wanted with the footage, but she learned a long time ago that the girl was sneakier than she appeared. But she payed well as a charge, and her manager was fine with anything unless they got caught, and she would be indicated as an accomplice to a crime.

Inside, Kimiko caught Ren's questioning glance to her ring and she smiled. "I've kept your white day present on my hand for all these years," Kimiko smiled.

"I'm glad you liked the ring," Ren smiled back politely.

"Hey, Ren-san? Are you single right now?" Kimiko asked.

"I am, but I'm not interested in pursuing a relationship right now," Ren smiled politely. She pouted for a second before putting on a smile.

"That's fine. Maybe you'll feel like pursuing one later on. I hope our scenes go well after lunch," Kimiko said as she opened the door and excused herself to go get a bento from what the director had ordered for the staff. Ren followed her out but went to his own dressing room instead. Sitting inside was Yashiro, who immediately sighed in relief upon seeing Ren. He had been looking for him for a while.

"Ren! There you are! I've been looking for you ever since you finished your last scene! Where were you?" Yashiro asked.

"Morizumi-san asked me to help her practice the upcoming scene, so we were practicing in her dressing room."

"You were alone with her?!" Yashiro's jaw gaped open. Didn't Ren know that it wasn't right to be with a girl alone in her dressing room?!

"She wanted to practice for our upcoming scene. I can respect an actress who wants to make sure she's ready for her job," Ren replied.

"Still, next time do it somewhere more public. It wouldn't do well to have rumors of you two spending time alone together in her dressing room. Hopefully no one else noticed," Yashiro said.

...

When Kimiko met up with her manager again, she demanded for her phone. As Kimiko watched the recorded video, she smiled wickedly. After quickly editing the video down to just the confession scene, Kimiko sent the message to Kyoko with a triumphant smirk.

"Who are you sending that video to?" Her manager asked.

"I'm just getting back the role that was rightfully mine," Kimiko said. It was great that she had been able to catch a glimpse of Kyoko's acting portfolio during the Momiji audition and see her personal phone number. Kimiko excelled in memorization, and she stored the number away for the future in case she would need it. Now it would come in handy.


	4. Chapter 4

When Kyoko finished school for the day, she took out her phone to see if she had missed any calls from work. She saw that she had one new message from an unknown number and froze when she clicked on it. The message read "I win" and a video was attached. Kyoko looked around and saw that her classmates were still packing up in the classroom, so she hurriedly gathered her things and went to the bathroom. Once inside, she locked the door and pressed play, not wanting anyone to interrupt her while she was trying to watch the video.

What she saw broke her heart. There was Ren confessing and proposing to Kimiko. As Kyoko watched, she couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes. She had known that Ren loved someone else, but she had believed him when he said yesterday that he wasn't that close to Kimiko. But now, he was proposing to her out of the blue, and Kyoko couldn't help but feel betrayed. He had called them friends the day before but had lied to her about his feelings for Kimiko. Was that really what Ren considered friendship?

All this time, she had thought Ren would never become someone else's man. Actually, she had secretly hoped that he wouldn't even if that made her an inhuman wretch. Because he had said he couldn't have someone important to him at this time, she had been relieved that she would not have to witness a day where he would fall in love with another girl. Never did she know that he would lie to her about his feelings and worse, fall in love with Kimiko Morizumi.

Without thinking, Kyoko immediately clicked on Kanae's contact information and called her. Yesterday, Kyoko had called her and emailed her so many times to make sure she was fine after losing the part of Chidori, and Kanae had told her about Producer Kuresaki wanting her to try out for another role that he felt she would excel at. Because of their extended conversation yesterday, Kanae wasn't expecting Kyoko to call her again so suddenly after their last chat, but she picked up the call nevertheless.

"Mo, I thought I already told you about the part Producer Kuresaki wants me to try out for? I know it's not a princess role like you thought, but-"

"Moko-sannn…" Kyoko choked out softly, tears spilling from her eyes.

"Mo, what's with the tone of your voice? What happened?" Kanae asked, concerned that something had happened to her best friend. Her first thought was that Kimiko Morizumi had done something to hurt Kyoko, and she felt her blood boil thinking of the snobby actress.

"I'm an idiot. I fell in l-love again, and he's in l-love with someone else," Kyoko cried. As Kanae heard her friend's sobs, she felt her heart go out to her friend who had been so damaged by love. Even though both were in the Love Me section, Kanae had never experienced the type of pain caused by romantic love that Kyoko had. Sure she had her own problems with familial love, but her problems had never caused her to break down in sobs like this.

"Why would you think that Tsuruga-san loved someone else?" Kanae asked causing Kyoko to gasp.

"How did you know it was Tsuruga-san?!" Kyoko asked.

"Just a lucky guess," Kanae replied, knowing of the close relationship between Ren and Kyoko. Kyoko wasn't the type of girl to fall in love with someone based on their appearance, so she must have fallen in love with someone close to her.

"I made a bet with Kimiko Morizumi. She said that Ren loved her and that I stood no chance of being with him. She made a bet with me on which one of us could get Tsuruga-san to confess to us first, and we had a week to do it. If I won, then she would never bother me again and would confess to hurting Koenji-san. If no one won, then she would never bother me again. If she won, then I would have to cut off my relationship with Ren and resign from the part of Momiji. I thought that she wouldn't be able to do it, but I was wrong, Moko-san," Kyoko's wailed.

"Then how do you know Tsuruga-san confessed to her? She could just be lying to you," Kanae replied.

"Here, I just sent you the video she sent me," Kyoko sniffed. As Kanae pulled up the video, she felt confused. For some reason, she just didn't feel that Ren was the type of person to confess something so sappily or fall in love with a girl like Kimiko. In addition, Kanae knew that Kyoko's "Something Dangerous" mission somehow involved Ren from what she had gotten Kyoko to spill information about, and Kyoko had been off the radar for a while which meant she was probably spending lots of time with Ren. How could Ren have had time to progress a relationship with Kimiko Morizumi if he had been spending so much time with Kyoko?

"Are you sure that this is real? Why don't you ask Tsuruga-san?"

"I'm not allowed to. Kimiko won, and one of the terms of our bet was that we couldn't tell Tsuruga-san about it," Kyoko replied.

"I really don't think that this is a real video. That girl is tricky. There's no way that someone like Tsuruga-san would fall in love with her."

"That's what I thought too, but the proof is right there…" Kyoko argued.

"Here, what about you ask his manager about it? As his manager, Yashiro-san would probably know if Ren had been secretly dating Kimiko for a while. You won't break the rules if you tell him about the bet," Kanae suggested.

"I can't! If I tell Yashiro-san about it, he'll know of my feelings for Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko wailed.

"Mo! This is the only way that you'll know if the video is fake or not! You have to ask him!" Kanae urged her.

"I-I can't just ask about Tsuruga-san's pr-private life like that…" Kyoko countered.

"When's the next time you see Yashiro-san?"

"In two hours for a Box R shooting. Why is that important?"

"I'll meet you there. If you won't ask him, I'll ask him for you," Kanae responded.

"You would really do that for me, Moko-san?" Kyoko asked.

"Mo, just this once I will," Kanae replied, prideful but still concerned for her best friend and willing to do anything to help her.

"Thank you, Moko-san," Kyoko said before hanging up the call. She clutched her phone to her chest before reaching into her bag and replacing it with her Corn stone.

Kyoko tried to channel her hurt feelings into the stone, but this time they just wouldn't go away. Time after time, Ren had managed to blow the locks off of her box, and she had struggled to keep the box shut. After she had fully accepted that she couldn't keep repressing her feelings anymore, she had just been hurt again even more deeply than last time. This only cemented her knowledge that love was cruel. Why did she always get hurt by this stupid emotion?

Since her Corn stone wasn't working, Kyoko assumed the character of Natsu to protect her since her next shoot was for Box R anyways. Natsu quickly wiped her tears away and washed her face before exiting the bathroom to go to her next filming location looking like she was perfectly fine. No one would suspect the inner storm raging inside of Kyoko.

…

As Kanae arrived at the studio where Kyoko would be filming Box R, she saw Kyoko standing out front waiting for her with a smile. Confused, Kanae raised a puzzled eyebrow at her and approached her.

"Kyoko?"

"You said you would help her, right? Well Yashiro-san is inside already, so let's do this," Natsu said as she checked her nails nonchalantly.

"Mo! You seem fine! What was going on earlier?" Kanae said as she grabbed Kyoko's shoulders. Kyoko momentarily froze and sadness grappled with her facade before Natsu gained control again. This didn't go unnoticed by Kanae who knew that she was a method actor and now understood what was going on with her friend.

"Lead the way, Natsu-san," Kanae said. Natsu walked into the studio looking like she had no care in the world, not even checking behind her to see if Kanae was following her or not. She went towards the studio she was filming in and brought Kanae to her dressing room where Yashiro had been waiting for her.

"There you are, Kyoko-chan! Eh? Why did you bring Kotonami-san here with you?" Yashiro wondered.

"Mo! This is all because of your idiot playboy charge! Can't you see that Kyoko's hiding herself behind her character right now because of what that actor did?! You better have an explanation for this because I swear I'll confront him myself if he intentionally hurt her like that other jerk did!" Kanae glared.

"Hold on, what are you taking about? Kyoko-chan? Are you there?" Yashiro asked Kyoko who only smirked at him sultrily. Yashiro felt taken aback. The sweet Kyoko he knew would never do that. Now he understood that she was already in the character of Natsu, but he still didn't understand why.

"She made a bet with that actress Kimiko Morizumi that-"

"No! Moko-san! Please don't-" Kyoko regained control and looked at her tearfully.

"Mo! I'm telling him to try to help you! Now as I was saying, Kyoko and Morizumi-san made a bet on who could get Ren to confess to them first," Kanae explained, causing Yashiro's jaw to drop.

"The terms were that they couldn't Ren himself, but if Kyoko won she would get justice for Erika Koenji's accident which Kimiko Morizumi actually caused, and Kimiko would never bother her again. But if Morizumi-san won, then Kyoko would have to cut off her friendship with Tsuruga-san and give up the part of Momiji," Kanae explained.

"Wait, why would you make that kind of bet, Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked.

"I only wanted to prove that Tsuruga-san wouldn't fall for a wretch like her even if he wouldn't confess to me either. I know that I'm not the type of girl that Tsuruga-san would fall in love with, but the terms of the bet seemed favorable towards me," Kyoko responded, Natsu having fully left her and leaving behind a tearful Kyoko.

"Mo! Didn't you expect that Morizumi-san would use a dirty trick like this to win?! You knew what happened to Koenji-san, so didn't you know she would do anything to get what she wanted?" Kanae yelled.

"What did she do?" Yashiro wondered. In response, Kanae pulled up the video on her phone and showed him. After the video ended, Yashiro adjusted his glasses and cleared his voice, knowing that the video was indeed fake.

"You're right, Kotonami-san. She tricked Kyoko-chan. I specifically remember Ren and Morizumi-san going into her dressing room to practice a scene for the commercial they were shooting together today," Yashiro said.

"What? Th-then Tsuruga-san really hasn't been secretly d-dating Morizumi-san?" Kyoko asked, her tears finally beginning to stop at the hope that Ren really wasn't in love with Kimiko.

"I know for a fact that he hasn't been. Ren's been single for a few years now. Ever since I was assigned to him as his manager, he hasn't dated anyone," Yashiro assured her, smiling at seeing the relief on Kyoko's face.

"See? I told you that she was just tricking you. You still have a chance to win the bet," Kanae said.

"I'm afraid I don't have a chance. Before, I learned that Tsuruga-san had fallen in love with a high school girl. If it's not Morizumi-san, then I'm afraid we both won't win. I won't get justice for Koenji-san, but at least Morizumi-san won't bother me anymore," Kyoko smiled sadly. Kanae and Yashiro both looked at her incredulously. 'The girl he loves is you!' They both thought in unison.

"Is there anything I can do to help, Kyoko-chan? I'm sure if I explained it to Ren, he would-"

"Please don't tell Tsuruga-san about this dumb bet I made! It was disrespectful of me to wage my friendship with him on a bet, and I'm afraid that he's not allowed to know about the bet or else Morizumi-san will win by default," Kyoko said.

"But what if I can get him to confess to you, Kyoko-chan? I won't tell him about the bet, but I can probably persuade him to-"

"Please, Yashiro-san, I don't want Tsuruga-san to lie to me. It would hurt to know that a confession from him were insincere," Kyoko interrupted him.

"Why do you think it would be insincere, Kyoko-chan? What if Ren really did have feelings for you? How would you respond?" Yashiro asked, suddenly getting giddy inside as he wondered if Kyoko might possibly reciprocate his charge's feelings.

"There's no chance of that happening," Kyoko responded.

"Even if you think that, what would you do hypothetically if he confessed to you?" Kanae asked, now genuinely curious along with Yashiro. Kyoko froze for a second as she thought about it before smiling and melting to the floor at the thoughts of her love being reciprocated.

"Mo! Why did you suddenly become a puddle?"

"Huh?" Kyoko responded, not having heard what Kanae had asked. She had been in dreamland imagining Ren confessing to her.

"What would be your reaction if Tsuruga-san confessed to you?" Kanae asked again. Kyoko blushed furiously, prompting Yashiro to squeal. Kanae stared incredulously at him, wondering if he had really made that sound or if it was just her imagination.

"Do you have feelings for Ren, Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked, sitting on the edge of his seat in anticipation for her answer. Kyoko's eyes widened in fear that her secret had been discovered before she dropped into a dogeza in front of Kanae and Yashiro.

"I'm so sorry for having these troublesome feelings again! I didn't mean for it to happen, but my stupid heart just had a mind of its own! If I could change my heart, I would, but no matter how hard I try, he just keeps blowing off the locks! But please don't lump me together with all of the other fangirls of his because my feelings run much deeper! I firmly admire Tsuruga-san as a person, and somehow that respect turned into love, so I'm sorry!" Kyoko wailed. Kanae grabbed her arm to pull her off the floor and out of her dogeza.

"Could you excuse me for a second?" Yashiro asked seriously as he left the dressing room. He snuck over to the stairwell and closed the door behind him before jumping for joy and squealing out victoriously. His charge's affections were requited after all! After collecting himself, Yashiro went back to the dressing room to see Kanae consoling Kyoko.

"You know that he's not like Sho Fuwa. If he knew of your feelings, he wouldn't hurt you like that bastard. You should know him better than I do, right?" Kanae asked.

"Yes! Ren would never hurt you if you told him the truth! You must confess!" Yashiro said excitedly, covering his mouth with his hand to prevent showing the wide smile he wore.

"EHHH?!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"This might be a way for you to win the bet. If you confess and he confesses back, then you'll win," Kanae said.

"But there's no way that he reciprocates my feelings of l-love," Kyoko looked down dejectedly.

"Kyoko-chan, you're the only girl that I've ever seen actually instigate a meaningful relationship with Ren. He doesn't have that many people that actually try to know who he really is as a person rather than just gawk at his handsome face. Even when you first met, you were special to him and the only one that could break his perfect and polite facade of Ren Tsuruga that he always puts on for the world. There's surely a chance he's fallen for you!" Yashiro exclaimed.

"Eh?! But I'm just an unacceptable actress who had an immoral motive in joining the entertainment industry. When we first met each other, he only hated me so much that he would only be mean to just me! There's no way that Tsuruga-san really l-loves me too," Kyoko denied the possibility.

"If you developed feelings for him, then why wouldn't he develop feelings for you as well?" Kanae asked. Kyoko froze as she thought this over and couldn't see a flaw in Kanae's logic.

"What if it ruins our friendship forever though if I confess?" Kyoko asked.

"Trust me, it won't. Ren wouldn't lose his relationship with you for anything in the world. You're the only person that I've ever seen that can truly get Ren to smile and act like a normal human being instead of the perfect front he usually wears!" Yashiro exclaimed.

"And look at it this way. If he really does reject you, the worst case scenario is that you're still friends and you are able to move on from your feelings. Don't you want to at least jump at the possibility that he loves you back?" Kanae asked.

"I don't have the courage to confess," Kyoko replied.

"Well with this bet on the line, I'm afraid you have no choice if you want to win. Will you do anything to protect your friendship with Tsuruga-san?" Kanae asked.

"Of course! He's my closest friend! Uh, a-after you, M-Moko-san!" Kyoko replied.

"Where's Natsu-chan? We have to start shooting for the next episode in 10!" The director yelled. Kyoko, who was near the door, heard his announcement and opened the door to see him standing in front of it, having been about to knock.

"I'll be ready to start shooting in a couple minutes, director," Kyoko bowed as she exited the dressing room to obtain her outfit for the next scene from the costume storage, leaving Yashiro and Kanae alone in her dresssing room.

"Tell me if I'm wrong, but Tsuruga-san loves her too right?" Kanae asked Yashiro once Kyoko was gone.

"Of course! This is just like a shojo manga romance! The two main characters hated each other but gradually fell in love! But they don't know that the other reciprocates their feelings, and now one of them is going to attempt to confess to the other who will confess their love as well! I can't wait for them to finally get together!" Yashiro squealed.

"I guess, if you put it like that. She's been hurt by Fuwa-san before, but she deserves to realize that she can truly be loved. i just want her to be happy," Kanae sighed.

* * *

 **Thank you all who reviewed last chapter! Seeing the overwhelming support and interest for this fic made me want to update again as soon as possible, so I hope you liked this chapter which was a little longer than the last couple. I had written this before this month's chapter release, assuming that Kanae had been asked to do the part of Chidori after all, but I edited that section after seeing what happened in this month's chapter! I'm lucky that I didn't get to this chapter before this month's release or I would have had Kyoko congratulating Kanae for Chidori whoops. See you all soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Yashiro arrived in front of Ren's apartment and knocked on the door. In a few moments, Ren opened it, looking perfectly ready for the day except for his messy hair.

"Ren! Good morning!" Yashiro exclaimed happily, his cheerful mood from yesterday carrying over to today.

"You're early, Yashiro-san. Come on in," Ren said as he stepped aside to let Yashiro into his apartment.

"I'll just be a minute then we can set off for work," Ren said as he went off to his bathroom to finish styling his hair. Yashiro took the time to look around Ren's apartment and chuckled when he peeked in Ren's fridge and found it fully stocked with groceries. Kyoko had probably put them there.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, Yashiro-san. We can depart now," Ren said as he walked back in, his hair matching the rest of his refined appearance now.

"Do you want to stop for breakfast? We have time before your first job," Yashiro asked with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"You know what Kyoko-chan would say if she learned you skipped the most important meal of the day. You wouldn't want to anger the girl you love, right?" Yashiro teased. When Ren froze and cleared his throat in embarrassment at the comment, Yashiro snickered at how easy it was to press Ren's buttons.

"Would you stop trying to play matchmaker?" Ren smiled his gentlemanly smile, causing Yashiro to feel the room drop ten degrees, but he wouldn't back down now that he knew Kyoko also loved Ren back.

"I will once you confess your love for her," Yashiro grinned. He cowered back in fear as Ren's smile intensified, but he vowed that he would continue on!

"You don't even know how she feels. I mean, almost every girl in Japan is in love with you, so why not her too? Why don't you just confess to her already?" Yashiro wondered.

"I wouldn't want to put Mogami-san in an uncomfortable position," Ren replied.

"Then what would you do if she confessed to you?" Yashiro asked, causing Ren to chuckle from the highly unlikely situation.

"If Mogami-san really did that, then I would also reciprocate the gesture; however, you and I both know that type of behavior is uncharacteristic of Mogami-san. She's the first LoveMe member for a reason," Ren replied.

"But-"

"So you wanted to eat breakfast, right? I'm afraid we'll run out of time if we keep discussing Mogami-san," Ren interrupted him. Yashiro closed his mouth and nodded. He followed Ren out the door, confident that he had at least planted the possibility of Kyoko's confession in Ren's mind. Yashiro just hoped that Kyoko would come through.

...

"How did it not work?!" Kimiko frowned as she read the return text she received from Kyoko.

 _Nice try, but you should have known that I can tell acting from real life, especially when it comes to Tsuruga-san. We both know you're not the girl he loves -Kyoko_

Kimiko had thought that her trick would work! How had Kyoko realized that it was just Ren acting? There was no way that Kyoko girl thought that she was loved by someone as godly as Ren?!

Intent on winning, Kimiko pulled out a sheet of paper and started to write out a letter. If there was even the minute possibility that Ren really did love Kyoko, then she would just have to make sure to use that to her advantage. As Kimiko finished her letter and enclosed it in an envelope, she gave it to her manager with a smirk to deliver to LME. There were only four more days left in their bet, and Kimiko was intent on winning in any way possible.

...

After Ren was finished with his photo shoot for RMandy that day, he went with Yashiro to LME since he had no more jobs for that day. Yashiro went off to his office to see if there were any new job offers that Ren had since he had practically finished his work as Cain Heel in Tragic Marker. Ren decided to wander around LME for thirty minutes until he would have to depart for his next photo shoot. He rounded a corner to hear two ladies gossiping. Normally he would walk past casually, but Ren came to a stop as he heard their topic of conversation.

"Have you seen the recent news? I didn't know that Ren Tsuruga had started dating anyone!"

"Maybe that's why he hasn't done any major acting jobs recently since Dark Moon. He's probably been busy with his relationship."

"Still, I can't believe they hid their relationship for so long that it only came out when he proposed to her! The proposal was even more amazing than I thought a proposal from the great Ren Tsuruga would be! I wish I was in her place," One of the girls sighed. Ren widened his eyes in surprise and took out his phone to see what new gossip there was about him. What he saw made his heart stop.

Ren watched as a video of his acting practice with Kimiko played on his phone. In the comments under the video, everyone had mixed reactions. Some were saying congratulations while others were angry that Ren was now off the market. Ren quickly called Yashiro who picked up almost immediately.

"Ren! Where are you? I need to talk to you about some major damage control! Have you seen the news about you?" Yashiro asked immediately.

"I know. I just saw the video," Ren replied.

"Hurry, meet me in my office so we can fix this!" Yashiro said before he hung up the phone call. Ren immediately walked onto the elevator so that he could get to the floor where LME's managers' offices were. As he made his way to Yashiro's office, Ren looked up to see a certain auburn-haired actress in a heated conversation with Sawara. Kyoko made eye contact with him, and he felt his heartbeat quicken. He prayed that she hadn't seen the news. When she smiled at him, he felt a major wave of relief. She hadn't seen it yet. Ren walked towards her and smiled.

"Hello, Mogami-san," Ren greeted her, forgetting that he urgently had to meet with Yashiro.

"Good afternoon, Tsuruga-san! Are you here to meet with Yashiro-san about that leaked video? He's been running around the office worriedly for a while now," Kyoko wondered, causing Ren's fear to come back with double the intensity. She had seen it!

"About that video, Mogami-san, you know that it's fake, right?" Ren asked almost a little too eagerly to make sure she didn't have the wrong idea.

"Of course! I would be a bad friend if I couldn't tell that you had been dating someone for a while! I spend so much time with you already, so I bet that any girl you were dating would have been jealous and came to talk to me about it," Kyoko responded.

"That's good. It's too bad this kind of video got leaked out. I was just helping her practice since she had some qualms about this one scene that we had to shoot for a jewelry commercial, but unluckily someone videotaped it out of context," Ren said.

"Hey, Tsuruga-san? Can I ask why you don't date anyone?" Kyoko asked with an innocent smile. Ren's eyes bore into hers, wanting to desperately tell her that she was the only one who he would ever consider dating, but not having the courage to.

"I don't want to have a meaningless relationship unless it's with someone I share feelings for," Ren replied truthfully. Kyoko felt her mouth run dry as he looked at her with the expression that she had seen countless times directed to her, but never to anyone else. She felt as if he was speaking directly to her heart and dared to hope that Yashiro's words were true. She almost wanted to confirm right there and then if her feelings were really as unrequited as she thought they were.

"Tsu-"

"Ren! There you are! I've rescheduled your photo shoot and scheduled a TV appearance for you in an hour so you can explain the video. We have to get going!" Yashiro came up to the pair, Kyoko's next words failing to come out.

"One second. Were you just about to say something, Mogami-san?"

"No-nothing! You should get going so that you're not late, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko urged.

"I'll speak with you some other time, Mogami-san," Ren replied before he followed Yashiro. Kyoko watched longingly as Ren left, wanting to know exactly why he directed that sort of expression towards her. Her heart wanted to believe that he was trying to tell her that he would only be in a relationship with her, but she shook those thoughts out of her head. If she let her feelings take over so easily again like what had happened just right now, then she could do something irreversible that would ruin her current relationship with Ren! She had almost just confessed right then and there!

"Mogami-san! Hello?" Sawara called out her name as she was brought back to reality.

"Yes?"

"You have that job as Bo at TBM Studios in an hour too, right?" Sawara asked.

"Oh, yes! I have to get ready!" Kyoko exclaimed as she grabbed her bag to hurry to her next job.

"Don't forget that you have three new job offers to choose from!" Sawara reminded her.

"I'll look through them and get back to you as soon as possible! Thank you, Sawara-san" Kyoko bowed and waved goodbye, making her way to TBM Studios. She was able to bike there in only ten minutes and immediately went to retrieve her Bo costume. She quickly got into the costume and went to see the director to get the rundown of that night's show.

"The show will go a bit differently tonight. It'll be more serious than usual because of our guest, so be sure not to offend him since we're lucky he finally agreed to an invitation to be on our show! I still want you to bring out the eggs and have the Ishibashis ask our guest the questions. I've heard that he's already in his dressing room, so you can go get him right now since the show's going to begin soon," The director said. Kyoko set off to the guest's dressing room and put on the Bo head right before she knocked on the door. She felt herself freeze like a chicken in the headlights as the door opened to reveal Ren.

"Oh, I didn't know that I'd be on your show tonight. It's been a while," Ren smiled.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter: you brought so many smiles to my face! See you all again soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I decided to upload the next chapter of this before I get to _Love is Immortal_ because we're nearing the end of this fic. There are only 1-2 chapters left, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for all your support on this story!**

 **P.S. As an author, I usually pick names of people and places with significant meaning...**

* * *

"Y-yo! I didn't know that you were going to be our guest tonight," Kyoko said after a brief silence of collecting herself after the shock of seeing Ren as the guest.

"Ah, yes. It was a last minute interview opportunity that my manager was able to secure," Ren replied.

"F-follow me so we can get you in place for the start of the show!" Kyoko exclaimed, leading Ren to the couch where the Ishibashis were anxiously waiting for him. They immediately grinned and eagerly stood up to shake his hand as the live audience clapped excitedly at seeing Ren.

"Thank you for letting me come on your show last minute," Ren said as he shook the Ishibashi brothers' hands.

"No problem! We're glad that we finally have the opportunity to have you on our show," Hikaru smiled.

"Ishibashis! We start in ten seconds!" A stagehand called out. The intro music played and the lights dimmed, signaling the start of the show.

"Welcome to Yappa Kimagure Rock! Today we have a special guest who we know all of Japan respects and adores. Give it up for Ren Tsuruga!" Shinichi announced to a roaring crowd.

"Now for those of you who don't know, in the first segment of our show, we ask our guest questions from the audience members! Here's Bo now with the eggs which contain the questions!" Yuusei announced as Kyoko waddled onto stage. She placed down the basket of eggs then looked over to Ren and acted like a fan girl, fanning herself and tapping Hikaru's shoulder while pointing to Ren. The audience chuckled at her antics.

"We know you're a big fan of Ren Tsuruga, Bo, but you can get his autograph _after_ the show," Shinichi joked, earning a laugh from the audience.

"So our first question is about that recent video that was leaked out showing your proposal to Kimiko Morizumi. How long have you been dating her, Tsuruga-san?" Hikaru read from the first egg.

"Actually, I don't know Morizumi-san that well since we've only ever been colleagues. I have never met with her outside work. That video was taken without our knowledge while we were practicing a scene for our upcoming Tasaki Jewelry commercial together. I'm didn't propose to Morizumi-san, nor have I ever dated her," Ren explained to the relief of his female fans.

"Well you heard it here first, folks!Ren Tsuruga is not off the market yet! Isn't that a relief?" Shinichi said to a cheering crowd.

"No need to get worked up over that video! It's just another one of Tsuruga-san's extraordinary displays of his acting skills!" Yuusei quipped.

"Our next audience members asks why you haven't dated anyone publicly for a couple of years," Hikaru read after cracking open the next egg.

"I've spent most of my time focusing on my career, so I haven't had that much time to pursue a relationship. When I do pursue a relationship, I plan to have a meaningful one with someone I share mutual feelings for," Ren smiled, his mind immediately imagining what it would be like to date Kyoko.

"That segways perfectly into our next question! What type of girl would you date?" Yuusei asked. Ren thought of Kyoko's cute smile and found himself involuntarily smiling as well.

"Someone passionate and determined with a work ethic to rival mine. Someone intelligent and innocent that brings a smile to anyone's face when they're feeling down. She's accepting of everyone and doesn't let the world get her down no matter what hardships it throws at her," Ren described, his eyes unknowingly drifting to Bo.

"That's oddly specific. Do you have someone in mind, Tsuruga-san?" Shinichi asked instinctively. All of Japan was on the edge of their seats in anticipation for his answer. Ren schooled his expression and only smiled politely with no comment so that all anyone could do was make their own assumptions.

In her Bo costume, Kyoko felt her heart start beating erratically at Ren's description of his ideal girl, especially after catching his gaze on her. She wanted to believe it was her, after all, she fit the descriptions, but she felt as if the world was just tormenting her. It was daring her to confess, but she was too afraid to. What if her suspicions were wrong? What if it was all just a coincidence that she fit the description?

"Our last audience question before we move onto the next segment is: Where have you been the last few months? Any new projects that we should be excited to see soon?"

"I've been working on a secret project that I can't unveil yet, but I hope you all are pleasantly surprised when it gets released. It's a departure from the parts that I usually play, but still I hope you will watch it. That's all I can say about it at this moment," Ren smiled secretly. He got up and waved to the audience as the show went to commercial break. Kyoko immediately ran off the stage to ask her role for the next segment while Ren was left sitting on the couch, wondering why the chicken had hurried off. Ren had wanted to talk to Bo, but he guessed that he would probably have to wait until after the show ended.

After a few minutes break, the next segment of their show started with Ren being ushered to stand next to Bo. Ren had to suppress a laugh at the outfit Bo was wearing.

"Since the video turned out to be an act, let's put Tsuruga-san's acting skills to the test and see if he can confess to Bo just as heartfelt and sincere as he did to Kimiko Morizumi in that video!" Hikaru announced. A spotlight shone on Ren who smiled in amusement and took Bo's wing in his hand to play up the comedy. Kyoko had donned a fake blonde wig and tutu on top of her Bo costume looking shyly at Ren who got down on one knee.

"Bo, I know we've had our ups and downs, but our love for each other is the strongest. I can't imagine the rest of my life without your beautiful red comb by my side, so will you do me the honor of marrying me?" Ren asked on one knee, trying to not laugh at the absurdity of the confession. Bo put its wings to its heart and nodded, holding out its wing on which Ren placed a giant inflatable pool ring. The audience laughed, and Ren took the opportunity to hug Bo, startling Kyoko who fell backwards with Ren on top of her. The audience cracked up at the hilarious fall, but Ren's eyes widened for a second as he realized that it was a girl under the costume after hugging the giant chicken.

While under Ren, Kyoko thought back to her encounter with Ren as Katsuki when she had fallen to the floor in his apartment. Back then, he had toyed with her with his realistic acting, so she decided that this was a good time as any to get some revenge as a wicked gleam caught her eyes.

Without warning him, Kyoko leaned up and nuzzled her beak onto his lips, startling the actor. The audience awwwwwed at the cute display and started clapping. Ren smiled and got up, offering a hand to Bo who gladly took it. They bowed to the audience and went onto the couch opposite the Ishibashis to wave goodbye to the audience as the show ended.

"Thanks for coming on our show Tsuruga-san! Our ratings are sure to go up from your guest appearance!" Yuusei grinned.

"It was my pleasure," Ren responded.

"If you follow Bo, it'll lead you back to your dressing room," Hikaru said as Kyoko motioned for Ren to follow her. They walked together through the studio in silence before coming across a particular secluded hallway where Ren suddenly grabbed her wing and led her down it, away from his dressing room.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Kyoko asked, dropping her voice to make it sound like a boy's.

"I need to talk with you," Ren smiled gentlemanly. Kyoko cowered back in fear at his smile.

"And you can drop the act. You don't have to make your voice like that around me. I know you're a girl," Ren smiled brightly. Kyoko froze and let him sit her down next to him when they reached the usual hallway where Bo found Ren.

"Why are you trying to hide your identity? You don't have to be ashamed. Here, you can take this chicken head off now since the show's over, and you don't have to hide that you're a girl anymore. I understand that we actors need to take any job we can when we're just breaking out in the business, and it's not embarrassing for you to be playing a chicken," Ren said as he reached for her head. She quickly stopped him, terrified that he would discover her identity.

"I'm fine! You really don't need to take it off!" Kyoko assured him, still using her voice for Bo. Ren continued in his attempts to take off the head, but she dodged each of his attacks.

"Then use your real voice!" Ren countered.

"Fine!" Kyoko said normally, hoping he couldn't recognize her voice.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Ren asked, taking his hands off her head. He couldn't help but feel that the girl's voice was familiar, but maybe it was just because it was muffled by the suit.

"I don't know why I keep coming to talk to you about these things, but I guess it's easier to tell a chicken rather than a real person," Ren started.

"Is this about that high school girl you're in love with? I thought you said you weren't dating Kimiko Morizumi," Kyoko wondered.

"I'm not. She's not the girl I love," Ren affirmed.

"Then you still haven't confessed to the girl you love?" Kyoko stared at him, astonished.

"I'm afraid that she will reject me," Ren admitted.

"What girl would reject a confession from Ren Tsuruga?! Just confess, and I'm sure she would return your confession! Do you just not know what to say when you confess?" Kyoko asked, trying to help Ren over his qualms on confessing even though her heart hurt at the prospect of Ren finally becoming someone's man.

"I have an idea. Is it alright if I practice with you? You remind me of her somewhat," Ren requested, thinking that Bo's voice was strangely similar to Kyoko's.

"Sure, I mean we've already done it on the show."

Ren took a moment to collect himself and looked at Bo, trying to imagine Kyoko in its place. But every time he tried, the image of Bo just kept overtaking hers.

"I can't imagine her with this big mascot costume on. I need to at least see someone human," Ren said as he quickly grabbed off Bo's head before Kyoko could stop him. As he saw the object of his affections, Ren dropped Bo's head in shock.

"I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san! I didn't mean to lie to you about who I was, but I thought that it would be easier for you to talk to Bo rather than me about your problems! I'm sorry for lying, but I've never told anyone about your secrets! I swear I'll take everything you told me to my grave!" Kyoko dropped into a dogeza. Ren was still in shock. Here he had been asking the girl he loved for advice on confessing to her!

"If you still wish to, you can practice your confession with me," Kyoko said even though she knew she would be hurt if he did. Her heart stopped when he smiled at her with the most sparkles in his smile that she had ever seen.

"Are you just trying to play with my feelings, Mogami-san, because I didn't think you were this cruel?" Ren wondered, hurt that she had known that he loved her this whole time.

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"I understand now. All this time, you knew, but I just couldn't see through it with your acting skills. What? Did you think that Fuwa would take you back if you triumphed in breaking his enemy's heart?" Ren's voice cracked.

"What are you talking about, Tsuruga-san?!" Kyoko asked again.

"Well you've succeeded. So go run on back to Fuwa now and tell him what a good job you've done. Get out of my sight, Mogami-san. I don't want to see you ever again," Ren turned away from her even though he felt his heart breaking with each word he said.

"Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko started to tear up.

"Just drop the act, Mogami-san. You won. Can you please just leave me the hell alone?!" Kuon yelled as Ren's real self broke out. Kyoko looked at him one last time in pain before running the other direction. When she rounded the corner, Ren fell to his knees and tried to blink away the tears forming in his eyes. She had known all along that he loved her and just played with his feelings! And even though he knew the truth now, why did he still feel his heart beat for her?

...

After his interview, Ren went home and drowned out his sorrows in alcohol after dropping a confused Yashiro off at his own house. Ren didn't know how much time had passed since he started drinking away his pain, but apparently it had been long since he awoke to Yashiro banging on his door telling him to get up. He was lucky this day was a free day for him since he knew he wouldn't have been able to get any work done in the state he was in.

"Ren! Wake up! I have something that will cheer you up!" Yashiro said as he held onto a letter. Ren begrudgingly opened the door, and Yashiro gasped at his disheveled form. This was the first time Yashiro had ever seen Ren like this with his eyes bloated and red with dark bags under them. Ren grabbed the letter out of his hand while Yashiro was dumbfounded and opened it quickly, wanting to know what it was that was so important for Yashiro to disturb him on his free day. His hand clutching the letter shook as he read through its contents.

 _Dear Tsuruga-san,_

 _It's taken me a lot of courage to say this, but I just can't keep it in any longer. My love for you cannot be contained any more after hiding it for so long. I'm writing you this letter because I want to know if you feel the same way that I do about you. I know we've had our differences in the past, but I hope that we've grown closer since then. The truth is: I love you, Ren. If you feel the same, I ask you to meet me at Giman Park at sunset. I'll be waiting for you patiently._

 _Love,_

 _K. M._


	7. Chapter 7

**When I first wrote this chapter, it was about 1500 words, but after editing, it became pretty much double that length. I hope you enjoy this chapter! This was probably my favorite chapter of this fic to write!**

* * *

Ren dropped the letter in shock at what he had just read, letting Yashiro pick it up and scan through its contents. Yashiro smiled at Kyoko's courage to finally confess. Way to go Kyoko-chan!

"So are you going to meet her today or not?" Yashiro asked, giddy with excitement.

"I-" Ren started before pausing as he didn't know what to say.

"I can't believe it! Your feelings are returned! And by Kyoko-chan no less! You got Love Me number one to fall in love with you!" Yashiro exclaimed in delight.

"You have to go! It's almost sunset since you've been staying in here since yesterday night! Come on, Ren!" Yashiro said as he dragged Ren to his bedroom. Yashiro looked frantically through Ren's closet, browsing its contents until he found a pair of black slacks and a dress shirt and threw them to Ren's chest.

"Put these on!" Yashiro ordered.

"Yashiro-san-"

"Hurry up! You could break her heart if you don't get there in time!" Yashiro interrupted him.

"What if this is just a trick for her to break my heart instead?" Ren's voice cracked. Yashiro looked at his broken charge in shock.

"What are you taking about?"

"She lied to me. I didn't know it was her behind the chicken costume, but I told the chicken that I loved her. She knew the whole time, but she just thought it was fun to toy with my emotions and kept up the charade," Ren laughed cynically.

"Ren, I think you need to think logically about this for a second. Did you explicitly tell Kyoko-chan that you loved her?"

"I told her I loved a high school girl. What other high school girls do I talk with except for her?"

"You have to remind yourself that Kyoko-chan is Love Me member #1. Do you really think her first thought when you told her that you loved a high school girl was that you, the number one bachelor in Japan and dear senpai who she places on a pedestal, would love her? She probably thought you were talking about another girl the whole time!" Yashiro reasoned. Understanding dawned on Ren, then a wave of guilt overtook him. He had treated her so horribly last night!

"I have to see her and apologize for my actions last night," Ren said with determination as he started to put on the outfit Yashiro set out for him. Yashiro grinned at his charge's newfound resolve.

"Go get her, Ren!" Yashiro exclaimed.

...

Yashiro drove a surprised Ren to the park who hadn't know that Yashiro had learned how to drive and gave Ren a thumbs up as he exited the car. Ren smiled a thanks at Yashiro's encouragement and ran into the park, seeing no other passerby around except for one lone girl sitting on a park bench, the hood of her hoodie covering her hair. Ren realized that she had been waiting in the cold this whole time and ran up to her. Sensing his presence, she rose up and turned to run away.

"Wait!" Ren called out as she started to sprint away. He followed her as she sprinted away from the park and towards the LME building next to it. Ren tried to keep up which wasn't hard to do considering his long legs and athleticism, but he only caught her hand as she turned into the LME lobby.

"Please hear me out," Ren said as he held her wrist tightly so she wouldn't run away, but gently enough to not hurt her. When she didn't make any effort to move away, he spoke.

"I know you've been hurt by love in the past, but I want you to know that I have been in love with you almost immediately since I met you. It just took me a while to realize my feelings for you. I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn't know your feelings at the time, so I apologize for making presumptions. My jealousy blinded me, and I said so many harsh words to you without thinking logically. In reality, I'm in love with you, and holding back my emotions whenever I seen you around has been torture. You're the only girl whose ever had this kind of an effect on me, and your presence in my life has changed me for the better. Will you please take another chance at love again with me?" Ren asked as he wrapped her hand in his, feeling something on her finger for the first time. He looked down and froze as he saw the expensive ring on her pinky finger.

"Oh, Ren-san, of course I'll be with you!" The girl exclaimed as she turned around and lowered her hood, revealing long black hair and an obnoxious grin on Kimiko's conceited face. Ren stood petrified at what he had just done in front of the whole LME lobby. Kimiko smiled up at him and glanced over her shoulder, smirking to a girl in a pink jumpsuit with short auburn hair that had watched the whole exchange. Without warning, Kimiko wrapped her arm around Ren's neck and pressed her lips to his own.

When Kimiko kissed him, Ren was immediately brought back to reality and pushed her off him roughly, shocking Kimiko who had thought him to be a kind gentleman. Looking around, Ren spotted a flash of pink running away from the scene, and he immediately sprinted towards the figure, leaving everyone in the lobby confused at what had just transpired.

"Wait, Ren-san!" Kimiko called out to his retreating form.

Ren couldn't be bothered to care about Kimiko anymore however as he chased Kyoko through the halls of LME. She tried to run away from Ren, but his long legs allowed him to catch up with her as she turned into the Love Me room, before she could lock the door. He charged into the room and wrapped his arms around her shaking form, holding her in place.

"Let me go, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko cried, desperately trying to break out of his arms.

"No, I won't let you go until I tell you the truth, Mogami-san," Ren said as he flipped her around and crashed his lips onto hers, the repercussions of his action not mattering to him anymore as his pent-up desire was unleashed all at once. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she was frozen in place.

"I thought that she was you. That confession was meant for you, Kyoko," Ren explained as he pulled back from the kiss.

Kyoko was still blushing furiously from both the sudden kiss and Ren's use of her given name and didn't hear what he said in her dazed state. "What was that?"

"Kyoko, you're the one I've been in love with. I thought you had figured it out as the chicken, but I was wrong. I probably should have thought out how you wouldn't think that I was describing you and would probably believe that I was in love with another girl, but I love _you_. I have never fallen in love with anyone before, but you are the exception. I fell in love with you, Kyoko, and I've been trying to hide it this whole time, but I can't anymore. I love you," Ren confessed.

"But what about Morizumi-san?"

"She tricked me multiple times in an attempt to insinuate a relationship between us, but I can assure you that she holds no significance to me whatsoever. I don't know why she went this far, but I don't love her at all. I love you, Kyoko," Ren repeated, hoping that she would reply to his confession. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

"There's no way. You're _Ren Tsuruga_. You couldn't have fallen in love with a plain girl like me," Kyoko said tearfully. Seeing the girl he loved in tears, Ren immediately wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

"You're wrong. Fuwa put those words into your head, but they're not true. Kyoko, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met, and I fell in love with your determination and kindness, even when you hated me."

"So you really do love me?" Kyoko asked for affirmation, her tears drying.

"Yes."

"Then I l-love you too Tsuruga-san," Kyoko smiled shyly. He beamed down at her and raised her chin, leaning his head down to kiss her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she found herself squeaking in shock before ducking out of his grasp. She blushed furiously, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Wait, Tsuruga-san. I need to make a phone call," Kyoko interrupted him, turning her head away and pulling out her phone from her bag.

"Is this really the time to be making a phone call?" Ren wondered, a little upset that she had stopped the kiss, but it was Kyoko after all and she was always unpredictable like this. Kyoko didn't respond, dialing the number and putting her phone to her ear.

...

After Ren had pushed her to the ground to run after Kyoko, Kimiko had gotten up to look for him. She couldn't find him anywhere though.

Suddenly, Kimiko's phone rang. She looked to see who was calling her and immediately picked up, ready to gloat to the caller on her victory.

"Hello?" Kimiko smirked.

"Morizumi-san! I was calling you to ask if you could apologize to Tsuruga-san for what happened earlier," Kyoko said. Kimiko was shocked to hear Kyoko speaking normally. She had expected her to be heartbroken!

"Wh-what? Why would I apologize if Ren-san confessed to me? I won the bet!" Kimiko exclaimed.

"Morizumi-san, we both know who that confession was really for," Kyoko replied.

"So what? The terms of our bet were that whoever Ren-san confessed to first would win. Even if it was meant for someone else, he confessed to me first, so you have to give up the part of Momiji and cut off your relationship with Ren-san!" Kimiko ordered.

"I'm afraid that I can't uphold my part of the bet. You won unfairly, so I won't honor our agreement. Either way, I won something even better than you could ever hope to have," Kyoko grinned.

"And what is it?" Kimiko asked, frowning.

"Love."

"What?"

"Tsuruga-san and I were finally able to confess to each other today. I have to thank you, Morizumi-san, since without that bet, we never would have been pushed together like this."

"You're thanking me?" Kimiko laughed.

"Yes I am. Morizumi-san, I hope that there's no hard feelings after this bet since we might have to work together in the future. I wish you to find another role to call your own instead of Momiji since I do think you have excellent memorization skills and acting chops. Please do think about apologizing to Tsuruga-san, though since I'm sure he would forgive you if you did. Good bye, Morizumi-san," Kyoko said before hanging up the call before Kimiko could say anything back.

Realizing that Kyoko had hung up, Kimiko felt her blood boil. She wouldn't back down that easily. Kimiko never let herself lose. She would go any length necessary to get her way. She picked up her bag and motioned for her manager to follow her, ready to resort to another method to get the part of Momiji. If handicapping Kyoko mentally had not worked, then she would just have to plan another "accident".

...

Kyoko ended the phone call with a satisfied smile and put her phone back in her bag.

"What's this about a bet?" Ren wondered, smiling a sparkly smile at Kyoko who cringed back in fear. The sparkles were basically suffocating her, and she found herself unable to hide the truth from him.

"I-I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san! As your kohai, I made a pointless bet with Morizumi-san and placed my job and our relationship on the line! I'm unworthy of calling you my senpai for what I've done!" Kyoko apologized in a dogeza. He quickly helped her off the floor, not content to seeing her prostrating herself in front of him like this.

"What were the conditions of the bet, Kyoko?"

"Morizumi-san and I were competing to see who could get you to confess to them first. If she won, then I would give her the part of Momiji and never speak to you again. If I won, then she would confess to hurting Koenji-san and would never bother me again. If you confessed to neither of us in a week, then she would just leave me alone forever. That's why she leaked that video of you and her practicing a proposal scene and why she tricked you into confessing to her in the LME lobby," Kyoko explained before her eyebrows furrowed as she made a realization.

"Wait a minute, wasn't that c-confession meant for me? Why would you suddenly decide to confess, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko wondered.

"Yashiro-san handed me a letter that I thought was from you since it was signed K.M. In it was a confession and it said that I should meet with you in the park if I loved you back. I went and saw a hooded figure that I presumed was you since you immediately ran away and I believed it to be because of my words to you last night. I followed the figure to LME where I confessed, but it turned out to be Morizumi-san," Ren explained.

"Ah, so that's what happened," Ren said, sighing dramatically. In reality, he couldn't be that mad at Kyoko for making the bet because he probably would have done the same based on the conditions, but he decided that he would get a little revenge on Kyoko for jeopardizing their relationship. Even if the bet _did_ prompt them to confess to each other.

"Wh-what was that sigh for, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked, nervous that he was mad since he had sighed just like when he gave her an NG. When Ren shook his head and sighed again, Kyoko began to worry that he would never forgive her for the bet.

"I have to say, I'm disappointed that you put our relationship on the line for a bet, Kyoko. A sorry just doesn't make up for it. I'm afraid you'll have to do more to make up for this," Ren said, trying not to smile and ruin his plan.

"I'll do anything if you can forgive me, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"Anything?" Ren wondered, stepping closer to her.

"Yes!" Kyoko affirmed, closing the distance between them, the determination clear in her eyes.

"There's actually two things I need you to do before I forgive you, Kyoko," Ren smiled.

"What should I do?"

"Well first, I would like it if since I call you Kyoko now, you call me by my given name too," Ren said. Kyoko's jaw dropped.

"I-I'm not worthy to call you by your given name!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"Please, Kyoko? I really do want you to," Ren said, using his puppy dog eyes. Kyoko couldn't help but say yes when looking at his puppy dog eyes.

"F-Fine, R-Ren-san," Kyoko struggled to say, relieved when she finally finished saying his name.

"Kyoko, you don't have to use the honorifics," Ren scolded her.

"But-"

"Kyoko."

"Fine, Ren!" Kyoko quickly said.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko, but what did you say?" Ren asked even though he had heard clearly. Kyoko frowned as she realized he was messing with her. Two could play at that game.

"REN!" Kyoko shouted as she pulled his ear down to her mouth. He coiled back at her outburst, and she burst out in laughter.

"Now what's the second thing?" Kyoko smiled, pleased that she had gotten back at him. She paused in her laughter when he suddenly looked at her seriously, taking one of her hands in his own.

"Actually, you don't have to force yourself to do this next thing. I already forgive you, Kyoko, so you don't have to say yes to my question if you don't want to."

"What is it you want to ask, Ren?" Kyoko wondered.

"Would you be my girlfriend, Kyoko?"

"What? You want me to be your g-girlfriend? But you can't be seen d-dating someone like me," Kyoko reasoned.

"I don't care what others say about me, but I don't want to hurt your career either by having the media see you only as my girlfriend rather than the brilliant actress that you are. You don't have to answer right away, but-"

"I guess I can," Kyoko smiled with a faint blush on her cheeks, interrupting him.

"Y-You will? Are you sure about this, Kyoko?" Ren asked for confirmation, stunned that she had agreed almost immediately.

"I would much rather have the media know the truth rather than let them believe you're d-dating Morizumi-san. What happened in the lobby earlier is probably already on the news. We l-love each other, and I think people who l-love each other usually d-date," Kyoko smiled, stumbling through her explanation as she was still not used to using such words to describe her relationship with Ren.

"I love you, Kyoko," Ren beamed at her, leaning down to finish the kiss he had started earlier and giving Kyoko no time to back away like last time. As he pressed his lips against her own, she froze at the sudden kiss but soon found herself kissing him back, although she was embarrassed at how inexperienced he must have thought she was. Those worries only metled away however as she found her mind going blank, the only emotions she could feel being complete and utter happiness and love for the man before her.

She had been scared of loving another before, but in Ren's arms she felt safe and able to let herself love again. He had broken down her barriers, her locks, and opened the box to her heart. She had regained that sacred emotion, and it was all because of him. Kyoko Mogami had finally learned to love again.

* * *

 **So happy that the angst is over. When you have two ongoing fics that both just had really angsty chapters, it takes a toll on you, and you want to write fluff and humor. I'm so happy the angsty bit is over for this fic. One more chapter to go, guys! Thank you to everyone who favorited or followed this fic, and a special thanks to all who take time to review! The reviews encouraged me to post this chapter ASAP! I'll see you all soon for the final chapter!**

 **Edit: While rereading this chapter to write next chapter, I realized there were many areas of this chapter that felt rushed and OOC, so I edited this chapter again. No major plot points were changed, only descriptions of character's emotions and making Kyoko a little more shy and timid than I had originally written her here to fit more with canon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I apologize for how long I made everyone wait for the final chapter of this fic. I had originally planned on finishing this fic before the new chapter release, but that didn't happen at all. I had a bit of difficulty deciding exactly how to end it, and I ended up also putting the writing of it off too long. Thank you for supporting me, and I can't thank those who reviewed last chapter enough. I hope you enjoy the final chapter of _Kimiko's Bet._**

* * *

"WHAT?!" Sho yelled, shocked at what he had just heard on the news.

When he had seen that leaked video of Ren proposing to Kimiko on the news, Sho had felt victorious. He hadn't known that Ren would change targets so quickly, but Sho was just glad the actor wasn't after Kyoko anymore. She was still Sho's, and now the only threat to his control over her was gone!

But watching the television now, Sho felt his blood boil. Headlines everywhere were talking about Ren Tsuruga's sudden interview where he came clean about having no relationship with Kimiko, portraying her almost as a stalker, and how Ren basically confessed his undying love for the unbelievably talented actress Kyoko.

Sho growled and took out his phone, pressing speed dial for Kyoko. He had to make sure her affections hadn't been swayed by the sudden confession. When he got her voicemail message, Sho threw his phone across the room in anger and furiously got up. If she wasn't answering his calls, then he would just have to pay her a little visit to remind her of her place!

...

Kimiko's reputation was ruined. Kimiko Morizumi was now painted as a Ren Tsuruga super-fan and stalker. Words could not express her anger towards the auburn-haired actress who had caused her reputation to plummet and who had stolen the role that was rightfully hers. Kimiko would get that role no matter what. She should have just faked a little "accident" from the start. Kyoko's call had infuriated Kimiko to no end, and she couldn't wait to wipe that smirk off her face. Kyoko had gotten everything! It just wasn't fair! She had to be knocked off her pedestal, and Kimiko was all too happy to do just that.

It was easy to get her manager as an accomplice. The woman would do anything Kimiko said.

The two trailed Kyoko after she finished her Box R shooting until she was alone at a street corner. They then got out of the car and grabbed her, holding up a drug to her nose to restrict her movement, and blindfolded her. She struggled to escape their grasp as they pulled her towards an open rail and prepared to drop her off.

'Help!' Kyoko wanted to yell, but she didn't have the strength. She sensed her impending doom as her grip on the handrail keeping her up slackened.

Suddenly, flashes of light assaulted Kimiko and her manager, causing them to panic at suddenly being caught. The next thing Kyoko knew, she had been put back on the ground. She shook off her blindfold to see someone running towards the group.

"What are you two doing?!" Yashiro exclaimed as Kimiko and her manager loosened their grips on Kyoko. He had been pulling the car around to drive her home, but he had immediately jumped out after seeing her get assaulted.

"Ah! Yashiro-san, it's good that you're here! We were just bringing Kyoko-san out for some fresh air!" Kimiko exclaimed, quickly putting on her usual act of sweet and innocent teenage girl.

"Now that you're here-" Kimiko began.

"I'm going to stop you right there, so just save your act."

Everyone turned to see Erika Koenji being wheeled to the scene by her servant. Kimiko couldn't help the scowl that immediately crossed her face upon seeing Erika.

"You..." Kimiko muttered. Yashiro looked at Erika in surprise, recognizing her from the audition.

"I'm honored you remember me."

"Why are you here?!" Kimiko shouted.

"I've had you followed ever since you tricked her into taking on your bet," Erika said, motioning to Kyoko who was still on the floor, starting to regain some control over her body since the drug was staring to wear off. Yashiro looked at Kyoko in confusion, noticing her condition for the first time and wondering why she was unable to get up off the ground. Could she have been drugged?

"After your true self was revealed to Japan and your reputation plummeted, I knew you would try to do this again. In your desperation, you did exactly as I predicted, so thank you for staying faithful to your greed. It's thanks to it that I was able to catch you in the act," Erika smirked.

"Catch us? Is that what those flashes were? You took pictures? You know they wouldn't work in this day and age where people alter pictures like crazy," Kimiko's manager frowned.

"Did you really think that my plan to corner and trap you would end just at pictures? We've recorded everything from your little stunt with that fake letter to today's failed attempt. If we wished, I could even have everything uploaded to a video site this very moment. Perhaps it might catch the eye of that man you love so much. I'm sure he's been wondering why you've been portrayed by the media as a Ren Tsuruga stalker."

For the first time ever, Kyoko watched as Kimiko's face blanched and as a true look of fear crossed her features.

"He might believe now that these are only rumors, but I'm sure his opinion would be swayed were he to see the truth about your character. So, whether or not I give the go ahead to release the evidence depends on your answer. You must make a decision now," Erika narrowed her eyes at Kimiko.

"What do you want?" Kimiko sneered.

"Leave the entertainment industry in Japan forever," Erika ordered, a smirk forming on her lips. Kimiko stood her ground and glared at the girl in the wheelchair, trying to figure out any way to get out of this predicament, but she slumped her shoulders in defeat when she realized there really was no way out. She had been cornered.

"Koenji-san, isn't that a bit too harsh?" Yashiro wondered.

"It's not. I never said anything about the entertainment industries in other countries, but she's going to have to use her own skill to make it without her family's connections. So will you accept this condition?" Erika asked again.

"Fine. I'll leave the entertainment industry," Kimiko scowled, admitting her loss.

"There's one more condition. You have to vow to never willingly try to engage with me or Kyoko-san. No more insinuating rumors, no mention that you know us in public, and no talking about everything that's transpired here," Erika said.

"And that includes Ren too," Kyoko added in a small voice, finally able to have some control over her body. Yashiro looked at her incredulously for her informal address of Japan's number one actor.

"Fine!" Kimiko shouted back. Erika smiled as Kimiko trudged away irately with her manager following behind. Kyoko finally rose up from the ground, her strength finally back as one of Erika's servants headed off to the side to make a phone call to report on what had happened. Kyoko put her hands on the railing to look at how high she had been.

"I probably wouldn't have died if I had fallen. I wasn't as high up as a I thought I was," Kyoko speculated, causing Yashiro's jaw to drop.

"No, you definitely would have if you landed on a fatal spot!" Yashiro argued.

"I'm thinking I probably would have just broken a bone," Kyoko laughed, Yashiro immediately remembering Kyoko's comment about how broken bones could heal when she had broken her ankle for Ring Doh. Kyoko turned to Erika who had been watching them curiously, although she turned away immediately at being caught staring.

"Thank you for everything, Koenji-san," Kyoko bowed.

"If you're referring to how you're completely unharmed, then you don't have to thank me. I actually would have rather you had fallen. It would have given the video more power over her," Erika replied, causing Yashiro to look at her in shock. Hadn't she been on their side?

"I was blindfolded, but I heard them get scared by some camera flashes. I know you were filming this whole time, so there's no reason why you would need photos as evidence. Cameras nowadays are also advanced enough to take clear photos without flash, so you could have secretly taken the photos without flash. And yet you used the flashes on purpose to slow them down so that Yashiro-san could come in time. That's the truth, isn't it?" Kyoko asked. Erika looked at her, stunned that Kyoko had seen right through her.

"I just didn't want her to have her way. She's messed with you and me enough just to get some part in a drama. Who knows how many others have gone through this?" Erika frowned.

"Messed with me? Are you talking about the bet?" Kyoko wondered.

"She wanted to manipulate your state of mind so that you would be unable to play the part of Momiji. When it didn't work, she resorted to physicality to get what she wanted," Erika explained.

"So you saved me because you didn't want her getting the part?"

"That's not the only reason. I also did it because I don't want to owe one of you LoveMe members anything!" Erika frowned.

"Ehhh?"

"It's bad enough that I had to ask that section for help, but then you tried to get justice for me with that bet! I won't let myself owe the LoveMe section anything, so consider my debt repaid! I don't want to remotely owe that girl anything!" Erika exclaimed. Kyoko couldn't help but smile knowingly since she knew Erika was speaking about Kanae. Erika would never admit it, but her liveliness came out in full force when it came to Kanae.

"I had all the confidence that your Momiji could never amount to mine up until I witnessed you at the audition," Erika sighed in defeat, thinking back to the liveliness, spirit, and skill that Kyoko's Momiji had surpassed hers with.

"Your Momiji seems to differ from mine, so I'll let you act it out. Do your best to make me say it was wonderful," Erika said, motioning for her servant to wheel her wheelchair away.

"Don't worry, Koenji-san! I'll show you a Momiji even more spirited and skilled than today!" Kyoko chirped with a smile.

"That's not what I said! Don't go around twisting my words like that! You're only able to act out an uncouth and dirt-smattered Momiji!" Erika rebutted.

"Even if I perfected that aesthetic, a haugh-refined person like you wouldn't call it wonderful."

"You were just about to say haughty, weren't

you! Are you trying to group me together with that awful woman?!"

"I'm sorry. Would you have preferred condescending?" Kyoko joked.

"EXCUSE ME?! How rude! This is why I hate small-minded commoners! Is this any way to treat a person who saved your life?!" Erika yelled back. Kyoko's smile only widened, irritating Erika even further.

"I'm leaving. Just talking to a Love Me member with your lack of common sense is making me feel sick," Erika complained, motioning for her servant to wheel her away for real this time.

"Kyoko-chan? Weren't you a bit too harsh to Koenji-san there?" Yashiro asked, surprised that kind Kyoko had almost called the girl haughty.

"I don't think so," Kyoko replied with a smile. Erika looked like she had regained her fiery attitude, and Kyoko couldn't be happier for her.

…

"Kyoko-chan, are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital to get checked up on?" Yashiro turned backwards to ask as he stopped the car at a red light.

"I'm sure. Thank you for taking the time to drive me home, Yashiro-san," Kyoko smiled.

"After what happened, I wouldn't want you to walk home by yourself. I'm pretty sure Ren would skin me alive if something were to happen to you on my watch," Yashiro shivered in fear.

"That's not a nice way to speak about Ren, Yashiro-san," Kyoko laughed. Yashiro gasped at her informal address of Ren again.

"I wasn't hallucinating earlier! You really did call him by his first name without honorifics! Did something happen between you two? There's no way he could have seen you sometime between that interview and now, though! I would have known!" Yashiro exclaimed. Kyoko couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

"You did see the interview right? Is that why you're like this? You know that he loves you back?"

"I do. I've never been happier," Kyoko smiled brightly. Yashiro squealed in delight at his OTP finally getting together, causing Kyoko to giggle from her manager's secret fanboy side coming out.

...

"You finally had the guts, huh?"

"Must you always be like this towards my love life, Boss?" Ren sighed as Lory cocked an amused grin at him.

"I can't help it since this is the first time you've ever truly fallen in love. I'm happy for you, Ren."

"So you're not angry that I've ruined my image? I thought my boss would be more concerned at my sudden announcement affecting my fan base," Ren asked.

"I'm concerned, but not about your fan base. After the rumors about you dating Kimiko Morizumi surfaced, your fans were angry that you were off the market. But those rumors were squashed with your confession this morning, and you charmed them with your words and vulnerability in your confession. You handled it pretty well from a business standpoint. The only thing I'm worried about is what this means for Mogami-kun," Lory said, taking a cup of coffee from the tray that Ruto had brought in.

"I know. I'm worried about that too. I don't want Kyoko to only be known as my girlfriend. She needs to be seen for her own talent."

"I agree," Lory nodded, taking a sip from his coffee.

"I'm think I'm going to reveal my identity."

Lory spit out his coffee in shock. His mouth gaped at Ren, stunned by his sudden announcement.

"I think with that announcement and with Tragic Marker being released soon after, this whole confession might die down. Hopefully A Lotus in the Mire will also begin to broadcast by then, and she'll be able to show the range of her acting skills," Ren continued.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Lory asked.

"With Kyoko by my side, I am," Ren said, determined.

"Then I'll support you as you finally face the world again, Kuon," Lory grinned.

...

Kyoko waved goodbye to Yashiro after he dropped her off at the Darumaya and reached into her bag for her key. At that moment, the person who had been waiting for her in the shadows decided to come out of their hiding place.

"Hey."

Kyoko turned around to see Sho approaching her with a frown on his face. She could only guess what had made him angry for him to come visit her in person.

"What do you want, Shotaro?" Kyoko asked, surprised at the almost nonexistent amount of malice in her voice. It seemed that her demons had almost all been killed off completely by Ren. Talking to Sho now, Kyoko only felt annoyed, but not that angry.

"Why do you never answer your phone?" Sho asked, irritated by her lack of response to him.

"I do answer it. I just don't answer any of your calls," Kyoko responded, fueling Sho's rage even more.

"You saw that interview today, correct?" Sho asked.

"I did."

"And you remember our bet?" Sho smirked.

"What are you talking about?"

"If you fell for Ren Tsuruga, then you would go back to Kyoto to work in my parents' ryokan for the rest of your life," Sho explained.

"If that's the case, then I'm calling the bet off," Kyoko replied calmly.

"Y-you can't just do that! If you're calling if off, then that means you must be the same stupid love-obsessed girl from before!" Sho growled.

"That girl was blinded by love, but I'm not that girl anymore. I know what it means to truly be in love with someone now."

"So you're admitting defeat! You really did fall for that platform-wearing actor with no talent!" Sho frowned. For the first time in their conversation, a true expression of fury came upon Kyoko's face.

"Don't call Ren an actor with no talent! He's the most talented actor that I've ever seen, and I only wish I had an ounce of the talent that he has!" Kyoko refuted.

"You fell in love with him! That means you lost the bet! You have to go back to Kyoto!" Sho ordered.

"I'm not going, Shotaro. That bet was made out of anger when you riled me up, and it wasn't fair in the first place. I'm done with bets," Kyoko declared, turning around to put her key in the door.

"Wait! We're not done here!" Sho growled, grabbing her arm to force her back to face him.

"Let go of me, Shotaro!" Kyoko demanded.

"No! You're coming back with me to Kyoto! You have to honor the bet!" Sho yelled.

"I'm not going. Let go of me, Sho," Kyoko glared at him, releasing the few demons she had left in full force. Sho felt his grip slacken and couldn't do anything as he watched Kyoko quickly open the door and enter, locking it behind her. After a few moments, Sho regained control of his body and started to bang on the door, enraged at how Kyoko had just left.

"Come back out, Kyoko!" Sho demanded. When he heard the door unlock, Sho got ready to yell to her face. He froze in place though as he came face to face with a very angry Taisho sharpening a knife.

"Stop bothering her," Taisho pointed the tip of his blade towards Sho's throat. Sho gulped audibly before Taisho shut the door in Sho's face.

...

When Kyoko arrived at her room, she sat down on her futon and started to get ready for bed until she was interrupted by her phone ringing.

"Hello?" Kyoko answered her phone immediately after seeing the caller ID.

"Good evening, Kyoko."

Kyoko instantly felt a smile bloom on her face at hearing the deep and melodic voice on the other end.

"Good evening, Ren," Kyoko replied, hoping the excitement she felt at his call wasn't too evident in her voice.

"I was calling to ask if you saw the news recently?"

"I saw it this morning, but is it really true?" Kyoko wondered.

"Of course it's true. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm head over heels in love with you for you to believe me?"

"Not that part. I already know that you l-love me, but has it really been that long? You said that you realized it when I was your substitute manager! That was almost a year ago! And you hated me back then!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"I didn't hate you. I only didn't like your reasons for joining the entertainment industry, and I didn't like how you were still giving him so much power over your life even after he threw you away. I thought you were only acting to exact revenge on him without actually enjoying the job, but when I knew you were truly happy when pursuing acting, I fell in love with you," Ren explained.

"But if it's really been that long, then I should have noticed sooner! I think I f-fell in l-love with you during your acting test as Katsuki, so we could have been t-together much sooner!" Kyoko complained. Ren's jaw dropped.

"You've been in love with me since Katsuki?! All this time..."

"We really were dense, weren't we?" Kyoko laughed, causing Ren to laugh along with her.

"But all that matters is that we're finally together now, right?"

"Yeah," Kyoko smiled softly.

"And since we're together now, I think that means I can ask you out on a date tomorrow as my girlfriend? I already checked with Yashiro, and it seems we both have a free day since you're starting filming for Momiji the day after tomorrow," Ren grinned.

"I guess I could go out with you tomorrow then," Kyoko replied coolly, hiding the excitement in her voice at getting to see the man she loved tomorrow.

"Great. I actually have something to give you tomorrow, and there's something important I need to tell you. I'll pick you up tomorrow at 9? I'll make sure to ask Woods-san to give us the necessary disguises."

"Where will we be going?" Kyoko asked.

"It's a surprise."

"I can't wait to see where we're going then. I'll see you tomorrow, Ren," Kyoko smiled lovingly.

"Me too, Kyoko," Ren replied before ending the call. As he set his phone down, Ren ran his hand through his freshly-done natural blonde hair and sighed in relief that she had accepted his invitation. Tomorrow would surely be a test to his resolve, but Kuon was ready to face it head on. But that would all have to wait until tomorrow. For now he could rest easy knowing that he finally had the love of his life to himself albeit for at least one day before he revealed everything to her. Hopefully she would accept him.

At the Darumaya, Kyoko smiled as she put down her phone and looked at her wall to see her posters of Sho and Ren. She immediately got up and took out the thumbtacks holding Sho's poster up, throwing the paper immediately into the trash can by her desk. She smiled lovingly at the remaining Ren poster. The joy she felt at finally having her feelings truly returned was unbelievable. Funny how it had only taken Kimiko's bet to ultimately bring their hearts together.

* * *

 **Thank you for choosing to give my fic a read and finishing it to the end! I hope the ending tied up all the loose ends in the story. I could possibly make a sequel to this fic, but I think I'll leave what happens after this to your imaginations.**

 **I did pretty much copy the scene where Kyoko was pushed off, but it was altered slightly. I don't know if I am the only one, but I just don't see Kimiko backing off so easily. Her defeat wasn't satisfying enough to me, so that was a big reason why I wrote this story. I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I did writing it!**


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